


John: Learn something new.

by PhoenixAccio



Series: Like One Sundered Star fics [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Karkat Has Gills, M/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 23:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15761889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixAccio/pseuds/PhoenixAccio
Summary: Karkat finally gets his shit together and tells his moirails something he probably could have told them a while ago.





	John: Learn something new.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oriflamme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriflamme/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Like One Sundered Star](https://archiveofourown.org/works/869819) by [oriflamme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriflamme/pseuds/oriflamme). 



> This work is based on oriflamme's Like One Sundered Star, which is itself based on SeargeantMeow's and Bananaramses's Real Men Wear Tights, which in turn is based on Homestuck the terrifyingly popular webcomic (obviously you know that one or you probably wouldn't be here,) so really there are a lot of layers here, there's a lot going on.

John is really glad to have both his moirails back with him. Technically, Gamzee was the only one who was actually _gone_ per se, but Karkat had just been so devastated the entire time they'd thought Gamzee was dead that it was like he wasn't there either. So now that everyone is finally okay, and Gamzee has been located, with just as little regard for the laws of physics as ever, John is insisting they all spend as much time together as possible. Which is definitely for Karkat's sake, and not because John gets antsy whenever his boyfriends aren't within his sight.

At the moment, he, Karkat, and Gamzee are lying together on a pile of blankets, books, and whatever other random junk they could find around the island. They've been there for a while, Gamzee is sort of clipping through the ground at this point but he seems fine with it so John leaves him be. Karkat's hand is in his favourite spot, his claws running through John's hair as John leans against his chest, and Gamzee's head is in John's lap, sharp teeth exposed in a lazy smile as he breaks physics to rub gently against Karkat's horn beds with his claws. Both trolls are purring pretty loudly, which only adds to the atmosphere of pure relaxation. John remembers hearing somewhere that listening to a cat's purr was naturally calming to humans. He wonders if that applies to trolls' purring too. Huh. John closes his eyes contentedly, scratching at Gamzee's head a little just behind the horns, when Karkat shifts.

"Okay, fuck it, now is as good a time as ever to tell you two another one of my darkest secrets," Karkat says. He's barely even shouting at all, and John turns around to look at him, actions a little sluggish from the incessant double-moirailing.

Karkat is biting his lip now, and it looks like he's pretty close to drawing blood, so John puts his hand on Karkat's face to pap him into submission. After a few seconds, the troll unclenches his jaw, releasing his lip as he opens his mouth to speak again.

"Uh..." he starts, "I have something I want to do."

John sits up, shifting so he can give Karkat his full attention. Gamzee moves so his head is facing Karkat as well.

"Uh, you guys are my moirails, and I sorta trust you not to cull me on the spot, I mean I don't think any of the group are gonna cull me, and you all know about my fucking mutant blood anyways, and it's not like you're gonna turn me in to the Condesce or anything, I know that, so I'm not sure why I haven't just told you sooner? Except I've been hiding this stuff for my entire life already and--"

"Karkat!" John interrupts, "You're rambling. Shoosh."

Karkat lets out a bark of a laugh. It sounds slightly hysterical, slightly bitter for John's tastes, so John reaches right up and paps Karkat again.

"Oh, screw this," Karkat grumbles, and... starts taking his shirt off? What?? John really has no idea what's going on, and sort of flails around in confusion until he feels Gamzee's cool hand make contact with his face. He looks down, stopped in his tracks by the sudden shooshpap. Gamzee grins at him.

"Just wait and see where this is motherfucking going, palebro," he says gently, in that weird, rough voice of his. John, of course, relaxes immediately, because _wow,_ he is long gone for these two.

Returning to the matter at hand, Karkat is still _removing his shirt (???),_ but Gamzee's cold hand is still firmly planted on John's face to keep him from freaking out again. Eventually, Karkat's shirt is off, and nobody in the pile (read: John) has succumbed to confusion induced spontaneous combustion (thanks, Gamzee.) This leaves John with nothing to distract him from _shirtless Karkat._ I mean sure, John sort of had an idea of what this might look like from Hemogoblin's more-paint-than-clothing hero uniform, but this is _different._ John drags his eyes shamelessly up Karkat's muscular torso, because they're boyfriends, so he can do that, before his eye catches on something unexpected. There are what look like bloody gashes in either side of Karkat's ribcage. John sorta starts panicking again until Gamzee whispers in his ear to "Take a closer look, brother." John obliges, and when he does, he sees that the 'bloody gashes' aren't actually bleeding. The candy red, fibrous tissue only made them seem like they were. Besides, why would Karkat not have healed an injury like that right away? Basically, the 'giant gashes in Karkat's chest' theory was terrible and John should have his theory privileges revoked for that blunder.

Fortunately, nobody steps in to forcibly confiscate his theory making license or anything, so John decides to try to make up for it with another, hopefully better idea. Now that he's looking for real, the 'gashes' actually look familiar. He racks his brain trying to figure out what they remind him of, when it suddenly pops into his head. Feferi likes to wear shirts that expose gashes an awful lot like these, except hers are tinted tryianblood pink. Realization fills John's features as he finally gets it, and Karkat looking satisfied, opens his mouth again.

"Yep. Gills. I'm even more of a mutant fucking freak than you thought."

Karkat actually looks a little like he might start crying here and now, so John gently pushes Gamzee's head out of his lap, and wraps his arms around his other moirail's warm body.

"Shoosh, dude," John says into Karkat's very shirtless shoulder. "Nobody here's gonna hate you for this or anything. The blood is fine, the gills are fine too."

Karkat stays stiff for a few seconds after John stops speaking, possibly waiting for a 'Just kidding! We hate you forever!' but when none comes, he relaxes into John, his chest beginning to shake like he might actually _be_ crying now? John gets a few good paps in just to be safe, especially since his shirt is definitely starting to feel a bit damp near where Karkat's head is. Gamzee shuffles closer to put his arms around both men, and only phases through them a little.

"It's all motherfucking good, bro," Gamzee says, spawning another arm out of nowhere to expose his gills under his t-shirt without releasing his moirails. "I've got a set of motherfuckin' gills to match."

"Yeah, but you're _supposed_ to have them," Karkat mutters back weakly. "You're a purpleblood. I'm just a mutant."

"Karkat?" John says, turning his head so his nose is in Karkat's neck.

"What? Karkat says groggily, so paled out it barely counts as a snap.

"Shut up," John says fondly, and for once, Karkat obliges.

The human and the two trolls sit tangled together in the pile for a while, long after Karkat's shaking body stills. None of them are quite sure if they fall asleep at one point, and for how long, but eventually all three of them find themselves in that half concious in-between state of not-quite-awake that's a staple of a good moirallegiance. John shifts contentedly, and opens his eyes to look at his warmer-blooded boyfriend.

"Hey, Karkat? Does this mean you can breathe underwater?"

Karkat emits a sound partway between a sigh and a groan, and with that it's clear to his two moirails that he's doing just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is one of many based on Like One Sundered Star that I have saved on my phone, all of which I'll be posting here, so look forward to that.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @phoenixaccio for updates on my works and bonus content.


End file.
